Desperate Endings
by Phoenix16
Summary: Harry's defeat over Voldemort. Harry gets an unexpected visit from his father, loses a friend, and realizes how important Hermione is to him. Please Read and Review
1. The end's beginning

The Icelandic wind pierced through his robes as Harry Potter attempted to calm his mount. The horse, a solid black mare, stamped her feet angrily. "She is anticipating this" Harry thought " This is her moment, just as it is mine, to prove herself"  
  
One thought repeated itself in his mind:"This must end here and now"  
  
Harry glanced over, and could make out the broad silhouette of Ron, nervously attempting to control his horse. Harry was aware that over a hundred of his fellow Hogwarts graduates stood next to him, ready and ambitious to fight for a good cause. Harry had summoned, not intentionally, an army of eighteen year old wizards. Surrounding them were the members of the Ministry of Magic looking somber and cold. Before him was a group of the topmost Aurors, leading this small army, mounted on hippogriffs. They were all eager for it to end. Three years of the constant torment by Lord Voldermort, the deaths of countless wizards, the agony of finding out that he has destroyed another family or killed another child. Many came here to Iceland with revenge on their minds.  
  
Ron's horse inched closer to Harry's, and the two animals gave one another a reassuring nuzzle. Ron offered Harry a weak smile. Harry reached over and grabbed his friends gloved hand. "It's all going to be all right," said Harry "This is the end, and I'm sure we can win". Ron looked somber. He spoke, and the wind ripped the words from his mouth so they could be barely heard, "It's all up to you, Harry. I know that you are the only one who can beat Voldermort. We are all depending on you".For a moment they stared at one another. Harry felt a wave of nausea surge through him as he imagined what would happen to Ron if this did not work.  
  
Harry heard hoofbeats thundering across the plain, and turned. He could make out the dusty haze of a mounted figure, and it slowed as it reached Harry. Soon Draco Malfoy was next to him, staring at him with eyes as cold as the wind that blew around him.  
  
"Why are you here?"inquired Harry harshly.  
  
"Although linked by blood, I am not my father's son anymore, Potter."replied Malfoy.  
  
Harry eyed him suspiciously as Malfoy turned his horse and galloped away.  
  
Mad-Eye Moody turned towards Harry and examined him with the dark bead of his magical eye.  
  
"Harry Potter," Moody said, "This is it."  
  
Harry's last three years at Hogwarts had been difficult. Voldermort's power increased day by day. The Daily Prophet reported constantly on another disappearance, another flash of the dark mark, another mysterious death. Harry had seen it coming, and prepared himself for the inevitable. He knew Voldermort had an eye out for him most of all.  
  
"I am the only one he can't seem to kill" he thought, grimacing.  
  
Hogwarts was his only safe haven, and he remained there over those last two summers. Dumbledore had spent that time teaching Harry the best ways to defend himself and the strongest spells to fight back. Dumbledore seemed to perceive that Harry was most endangered in these times of Voldermort's rise to power, but he also seemed to think that Harry somehow had the power to defeat the dark wizard. Harry wasn't so sure.  
  
The Ministry had tracked the Death Eaters to a remote plain in Iceland. This was the place where Voldermort would soon rise to his fullest power, and this is why the army of wizards was there. Voldermort had to be stopped before he regained total strength. He was well-protected by a swarm of Death-Eaters that would have to be defeated in order for anyone to have access to Lord Voldermort. Once the Death-Eaters were captured, the final blow could be delivered to Voldermort and it would all be over.  
  
At least that was the plan. 


	2. Deciding Moments

I didn't include a disclaimer with my last chapter! There were also some parts I meant to be italicized, specifically Harry's thoughts. Sorry if that was confusing!  
  
So here we go- All Characters belong to J.K Rowling  
  
Now on with the story!  
  
Harry's scar suddenly burned.  
  
He gripped his forehead, and looking onto the horizon, saw a faint line of death eaters moving towards him. The cloaked figures and masked faces sent a chill up his spine. There must have been fifty of them.  
  
"Stay in close! They're going to cast the first spell!" Moody yelled from in front of Harry.  
  
Harry watched as they raised their wands.  
  
Simultaneously they shouted "Imperio!"  
  
Moody and the other aurors stayed put, along with the ministry members. Harry felt the bliss of losing control sweep over him, and heard a murmur in his head telling him to move forward towards the masked forms.  
  
"No!" he thought. He focused himself on the thought "I will...not!"  
  
Harry watched in horror, though, as many of his classmates, including Ron, dismounted from their horses and began walking towards the death eaters.  
  
Harry screamed at him to stop, to focus his mind on not walking forward, to turn around, but Ron was oblivious. The ministry members began to form a tight circle with their horses, creating a type of pen that held in the young wizards, and turning their backs to the Death eaters, leaving them vulnerable to whatever would come next as they frantically yelled counter- curses. The aurors surged forward , greatly outnumbered by the death eaters. He watched their outlines blur in the gusts of snow as they moved away from him.  
  
"Harry, what do we do?"  
  
Harry turned to face Hermione and Malfoy, along with a small clutch of other Hogwarts students who were apparently strong enough to resist the curse. Harry was surprised at the rare expression of desperation on Hermione's face.  
  
"We should go help the ministry members bring everyone back." Harry said, sounding just as unsure about things as Hermione. "They should have never come!" He added.  
  
The others turned. Harry went to follow, but was suddenly nearly knocked off of his horse with pain. His head felt as if it were about to split at his scar.  
  
"Harry Potter," a voice from behind him hissed "You know how this must end!"  
  
Harry whirled his horse around, to find himself facing lord Voldemort.  
  
. He was formidable. His body was powerfully muscled beneath his robes. His skin was a silvery pale white, almost pewter. His eyes, set into a snakelike skull, glowed a sinister red. When he exhaled, there was no cloud of condensed heat as there should be in a living thing. No, Voldemort's insides were just as cold as the surrounding air.  
  
And standing to the right side of Voldemort was none other than Draco Malfoy, sneering.  
  
"Malfoy!"  
  
"That's right, Potter." He said "I told you that I was no longer my father's son, and it's true."  
  
Harry watched in shock as Malfoy moved his horse aside to reveal the crumpled dead body of Lucius Malfoy, his father. "I am stronger than him now, Potter. He did not stand by our Lord Voldemort in his darkest hour. He denied the Dark Mark, which is something I will never do.  
  
The ministry members were too distracted to notice. The aurors were battling with the death eaters. Harry was alone.  
  
Voldemort's slit of a mouth curled up into a horrible grimace. "Kill him, Draco."  
  
Harry reacted instantly. He raised his wand and screamed "Expelliarmus!". He was suddenly gripping Malfoy's wand as Malfoy watched, defenseless. Harry stared int Malfoy's grey eyes, which now carried not a defiant expression, but one of fear. For a fleeting moment a thought passed through Harry's mind: "Kill him." Harry knew, though, that he was stronger than that. He would never resort to Voldemort's tactic. If he could help it, he would never do to anyone what was done to his parents. He felt a surge of anger as he noticed Voldemort was still smiling, as if reading his fleeting sinful thoughts.  
  
Harry raised his wand towards Malfoy, saying "Petrifictus Totalus!"  
  
Malfoy froze, his arms and legs locked, and he fell stiff onto the cold ground.  
  
"Very good, Harry" hissed Voldemort.  
  
Harry then noticed that, from behind Voldemort, there was another soft hiss.  
  
"Now I am fed." Said the basilisk, slithering down from beneath Voldemort's robes. The massive snake moved towards Harry, and began to crawl up the front leg of Harry's terrified horse. The horse reared wildly, bucking the snake off before it could take a bite, and bolted.  
  
Harry gripped it's mane as it galloped away from the scene, from the Ministry and the Aurors, from safety. Desperately Harry tried to regain control, but in vain. Harry was not sure how long or how far they had gone before he heard another shout.  
  
"Stupefy!" Commanded Voldemort as he appartaed. Harry felt the horse collapse beneath him, and slid off of its back just in time as to not be crushed by its weight.  
  
His scar burned.  
  
Harry Potter now stood face-to-face with the dark Lord Voldemort. 


	3. Unexpected Defeat

For what seemed like eternity, nothing happened. Thoughts tore through Harry's mind "Please...let somebody come. Please...."  
  
Harry was anxious, staring at Voldemort with a blend of hatred and fear. He tensed as Voldemort raised his wand in challenge.  
  
The Dark Lord growled at Harry: "I will not be defeated again! This time, you will not have the pleasure of a formal duel, boy. This time, you die now!  
  
Avada Kedarva!"  
  
Harry felt a searing pain burn through his body, and nearly collapsed. Harry was sure that this was his death, his ending. But the pain subsided within only a few moments.  
  
There was a shot of green light from Voldemort's wand. Harry felt his own wand quiver in his hands, and from its tip there was a burst of brilliant gold light. The two beams intersected and dissipated.  
  
Voldemort looked shocked, repeated the killing curse towards Harry.  
  
And again, his wand protected him.  
  
Harry nearly dropped his wand with surprise.  
  
"Enough!"Roared Voldemort " Expellairamus!"  
  
Harry's wand did not budge.  
  
Because both of their wands contained a tailfeather from the same phoenix, Harry knew, they would behave strangely towards one another. That phoenix was Fawkes, belonging to Dumbledore.  
  
Fawkes had saved Harry's life once, and it appeared that he was going to do it again.  
  
Harry did not think, but he moved forward towards Voldemort.  
  
"AVADA KEDARVA!" Bellowed Voldemort, as Harry came into touching distance to the Dark Lord. Harry felt the searing pain move through him, but ignored it. He felt as if his body and mind were two separate things, and if his body were to die at that moment his mind wold still be able to finish off the task at hand.  
  
Harry reached out, and grabbed Voldemort's shoulder. Voldemort made a face of agony. The touch seemed to hurt him.  
  
"AVADA KEDARVA!" he screamed, writhing. Harry did not allow his grip to weaken. He felt the pain move through him, pass down his arm, through his hand and fingers. Harry acted as a circuit, passing the curse through his own body back into Voldemort's.  
  
Voldemort cried out and fell, kneeling, to the ground.  
  
Harry stared onto the red of the Dark lord's eyes, and tightened his grip.  
  
"Why won't you just die, Potter?" Voldemort whispered, smiling horrifically "Die like your mother? Your father? They were such an easy kill to-"  
  
"NO!" Harry shouted. Fury swelled up inside of him, and his hand moved from Voldemort's shoulder to his neck. "Not...Another...WORD...about my parents!"  
  
Voldemort chuckled, and stabbed his wand into Harry's side just below his rib cage.  
  
Harry could vaguely feel the piercing and the blood.  
  
"See if your wand can protect you now, Harry...  
  
Avada...Kedarva!  
  
Harry screamed, suddenly aware of his body again as the curse seemed to burn every cell of his self. Harry dug his fingers into the cold pewter of the Dark Lord's neck, and felt like the red eyes that he was so close to right then were the eyes of death himself, come to take him away from all of this torment.  
  
But the pain moved quickly.  
  
Soon, it was Voldemort who was wincing, clutching at his chest with clawlike fingers.  
  
Voldemort soon collapsed flat onto the ground, moaning.  
  
Harry knew then what had to be done.  
  
Harry released his grip on Voldemort, and stood over him shakily. Voldemort looked up into Harry, and for a moment Harry feared that the dark Lord was doing to beg for mercy.  
  
Instead he said to Harry "You cannot defeat me, Potter."  
  
"I CAN!" screamed Harry "I can defeat you because I have something that you have never had! I have the protection of my parent's love, running through my veins, my heart. Nobody loved you...Voldemort."  
  
Voldemort curled himself up, as if he knew that Harry was right.  
  
Harry pointed his wand towards Voldemort, but hesitated for a moment. He had never killed anyone. He wondered if there was any other way...any way that he could demolish Voldemort without killing him...it there was anyone else who could do it...  
  
"There is no other way....there is no one else..." Voldemort said "Harry Potter, I should have known you would be my ending..." he added, with a weak smile "You are very powerful."  
  
There was a sudden flash in his mind of the image of himself smiling between the shoulders of his mother and father. The image he saw in the Mirror of Erised. Harry's eyes filled with tears that stung him as they raced down his cold cheek.  
  
Harry focused all of his energy into that image as he uttered "Avada....Kedarva"  
  
The first thing that happened was Voldemort's wand shattered, and the gleaming red tailfeather of Fawkes hovered above the dark lord, then a fluttered over to Harry, and coiled itself around his own wand. His wand shivered, grew very hot, then emitted a brilliant sphere of red light that began to shape itself.  
  
Soon, standing before him, was a fiery red stag.  
  
"My...father" Harry whispered, as the creature gazed into Harry's eyes with its own molten, liquid ones.  
  
The stag stood over Voldemort, dipped its powerful neck, and stabbed the dark Lord with the daggers of its antlers.  
  
Voldemort emitted a howl. He quivered and writhed, but the great deer did not loosen it's hold. The dark Lord soon went limp, his skin went black and flaked away.  
  
Harry was horrified to see what was below that skin. Instead of muscles, there were snakes, hundreds of them, of all sizes.  
  
The stag stamped his cloven foot, and the snakes ceased their movement. They too turned black, and became ash, which was carried away by the wind. There was nothing left of the dark lord but a skeleton. The stag stepped away, and the skeleton shattered and turned grey, now stone.  
  
Harry watched with awe. The animal, his father, approached him. Harry reached out, and touched the bright red glow of its flank. In his mind, he heard a voice very clearly.  
  
"We are Very Proud of you Harry."  
  
Harry smiled, then collapsed.  
  
  
  
  
  
Keep reading, another chapter will be up soon! 


	4. Loss and Victory

Harry dared not open his eyes.  
  
There was warmth and softness surrounding him, and he briefly wondered if he had died. Was this heaven? Perhaps he was in the bed that should have been, and he would open his eyes to see his mother kissing him goodnight. Or was he still on the ice desert, awaiting death?  
  
Harry blinked awake and found that it was none of these things. He was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Hedwig, facing away from him on a perch, turned her head a full three-hundred and sixty degrees to examine him with her large gold eyes, before fluttering down onto his chest and brushing his face lovingly with her wings.  
  
"She's one of the smartest, that one!" a familiar voice next to Harry said.  
  
Harry turned to face the warm face of Albus Dumbledore "If it weren't for her, I'm not sure if we would have found you!"  
  
Hedwig fluffed herself proudly.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore..." Harry began, but did not know where to go from there.  
  
"Harry, dear boy, you are the strongest of the strong. You defeated the Dark Lord, just as I knew you could." Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"How...How did I do it? Why Me?" Harry asked, as brief flashes of the previous events began to come together in his mind.  
  
"It was, as far as I could tell, a defeat that can be credited only to love and fate, Harry." Dumbledore replied. "Your parents loved you, and fate picked YOU to be the one who would end the fright. I'm not sure if even I could have done what you did".  
  
Harry did not feel proud, or even happy. Harry felt only the desire to be normal, for things to return to the way they should be, the way they were the first time he ever set foot into Hogwarts.  
  
"Is Voldemort gone forever? And the Death-eaters? What became of them?" Harry inquired.  
  
"Voldemort's army is now in Azkaban. The death eaters were defeated by the Aurors, the Ministry, and most of all, your friends. They were eager to help you, Harry. They believed so strongly in you that they were willing to sacrifice everything, and some of them did." Dumbledore paused here, and seemed to hesitate before continuing "And as for your first question, Voldemort is indeed gone forever. You have killed him. That does not mean that the idea of Voldemort is gone, though. Evil will always be brewing somewhere, Harry, and there will always be people like you, Harry, who have the strength and power to defeat them."  
  
Harry stared at Dumbledore, not sure of what to say. Dumbledore smiled and patted his shoulder.  
  
There was a sudden clamor from the opposite side of the wing, and harry suddenly saw a flash of red bursting through the doors to the wing. "Harry!" Fred Weasley shouted, being the first to approach him. He embraced Harry not as if he were a hero, but a brother. Fred was followed quickly by George, Percy, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, and even Charlie and Bill. Harry embraced the crew gleefully as they showered him with cookies and gifts.  
  
"And this one, Harry, when somebody eats it they sprout a tail..."  
  
"Give him some space. Harry dear, are you warm enough?"  
  
"Harry, you are amazing. The ministry wants to know all about it."  
  
"And this one explodes when-"  
  
"Where's Ron?" Harry inquired.  
  
The Weasleys suddenly became quiet. Fred and George looked at the ground and shuffled their feet. Percy's clenched his jaw and made a fist. Bill and Charlie looked at him with sad expressions in their eyes, and Mr. Weasley placed his arm around Mrs. Weasley as tears began to trickle down her face.  
  
"Where's Ron?" Harry asked as is he already knew the answer. His eyes, too, became clouded with tears.  
  
"Harry, Honey," Mrs. Weasley said softly "Ron passed away."  
  
Harry could not hold back. The tears came, and he reached out, as if he were a tiny vulnerable baby, for comfort. The whole Weasley family embraced him and joined in his mourning.  
  
"He should have never been there! He died for me! He should have not been there!" Harry moaned.  
  
"Don't feel guilty, Harry" Mr. Weasly said "Ron gave his life for a greater good. Voldemort and the death-eaters are gone forever, and he played a major role in that!"  
  
"He...He should not have been there!" Harry repeated.  
  
"There, there, Harry." Fred said, pulling him into a tight hug. It's been hard for all of us, but the last thing you can do is blame yourself, especially when you are the one who defeated you-know-who!"  
  
"I'm not a hero!" Harry murmured between tears, and the Weasleys just drew in nearer to him, and held him closer. Together they all mourned, and celebrated.  
  
Loss and Victory. It was a vicious cycle. 


	5. needed comfort

Harry Potter looked at his reflection.  
  
He was slender, with subtle lines of muscle on his arms and stomach. His pajama-pants hung low at his narrow waist, and looked as of they were even slightly tugged upon they would slip off of hip completely. He was not powerful-looking by any means. He had filled out over the past summer, but was still thin and fair.  
  
His hair was its usual, uncontrollable disaster. It fell tousled unevenly over his forehead and over his ears. Its blackness was deep, but had an almost iridescent sheen, like the feathers of a raven. He looked at the curve of his face. He disliked its boyish roundness. There was a sharp curve where his jaw met his neck, though, which he felt made him look a bit more adult. His spectacles had been upgraded to a larger size, but still remained perfect circles. Behind them, almost unnaturally bright emerald green eyes stared back at him. His brow was dark and expressive.  
  
His brow, at that moment, was the focus of his observation.  
  
His nose less than an inch from the mirror, he held a candle up to his forehead, nearly singing his hair.  
  
There was no trademark scar. Not even the sign that it had ever been there. His forehead was perfectly smooth.  
  
He stared at himself for a very long time, before the mirror scolded him, uttering things such as, "Now, Now! You couldn't find yourself THAT interesting!"  
  
Harry managed a chuckle.  
  
Dumbledore had invited Harry to stay at one of the Hogwarts guest quarters, even though school was back in session. Harry realized that he had been unconscious for nearly two weeks while recovering from the battle with Voldemort. He had nowhere to go when he awoke, since the Dursleys would certainly not take him in. Professor McGonagall took him up to this room, which contained its own private bathroom facility, and informed him that he was always welcome for as long as he needed at Hogwarts. He was happy to see his old teacher, who spoke to him in her usual cold tone, but was constantly smiling at him with warmth in her eyes. The room was large, and had the potential to be cold and drafty, but was quite contrary to that. It was up in a tower, and had two large windows, one overlooking a courtyard where Harry could look down on the students, and one facing the shores of the lake. It was dark at the time, and Harry had drawn in the crimson and gold curtains to keep the cold out. The stone walls were painted a warm red ochre, and there was an impressive fireplace on the far wall, containing a merrily crackling fire. There was a small table, a bookshelf full of strange books, a dresser, and a couch upholstered in the same crimson and gold fabric as the curtains. The bed was large and soft, and had a canopy that seemed to be woven of gold spider's thread. On the floor was an elaborate violet and gold wool rug, and tapestries woven in the same colors depicting unicorns, dragons, manticores, and other mystical creatures lined the walls between candle holders. The bathroom was equally as elaborate, done up in warm hues of orange, red, and violet, and all the fixtures seemed to be golden as well.  
  
Harry was cozy and comfortable. Harry felt no desire to leave soon. He wanted some normalcy, some comfort. He felt good here. He knew that this was his haven, his place to recover before venturing back out into the world of wizards, where he would surely be hassled and questioned by every other person he happened across.  
  
Harry heard a faint knock on his door, and it creaked open a bit.  
  
"Harry?" said the soft voice from behind the door.  
  
"Come in..." Harry said.  
  
Hermione entered the room,quietly closing the door behind her. She carried herself gracefully, although her face looked as though it had been scarred by an unspeakable pain. She had grown up quite a bit over the summer as well. She had become tall and curved, her face had narrowed and her hair had calmed. She was an unconventional beauty, but a beauty nonetheless. Now, though, she looked worn and sad.  
  
Harry raced over and embraced her. "Hermione! How...How are you?" He said, not really needing to ask. She began to shiver, and he could feel a tear on his shoulder as he pulled her in.  
  
"I...I loved him so much" Hermione wimpered, collapsing into his embrace. He pulled her over to the couch where they sat. She was sobbing, quietly. Harry was aware that Ron and Hermione had shared an unspoken romance between them for a long time. They both knew it was there, and that the other felt the same. Harry would occasionally go down the stairs to find that Ron had nuzzled Hermione into a corner, or Hermione tracing her hand tenderly across Ron's cheek as they studied. Harry would always leave them alone at these times. He knew that their intimacy was none of his business to interfere with. They never talked about it. When Harry was there, they were three friends again.  
  
"I know" Harry said, touching her hair, trying to hold back his own tears as to not worsen the situation.  
  
They remained this way for a long time.  
  
Hermione finally composed herself and pulled away to look Harry over.  
  
"Harry!" she smiled, sniffling "I still have you!"  
  
"Of course you do, 'mione. " He replied.  
  
"Tell me," she said " What happened. The truth, not the rumors."  
  
Harry explained what had taken place with Malfoy, the basilisk, and getting lost. He detailed for her the magical combat that he and Voldemort had engaged in, and Voldemort's death by the glowing red figure of the stag, his father. Harry emphasized that he really had done nothing, and that he did not believe himself to be the powerful wizard everyone else saw him as.  
  
Hermione did not take her eyes from him as he explained all of this to her.  
  
"I don't see you as powerful, Harry." Said Hermione "You're just...somebody," she paused, as if trying to think of how she wished to phrase what to say next.  
  
"You're just a person who is loved. That, I suppose, gives anyone supernatural powers to defeat evil. You just know how to wield it. That's what I think, Harry."  
  
"I like what you think much more than what everyone else thinks. I don't want to he the hero, Hermione. I want to be Harry Potter, not 'The Boy who Lived' or 'the defeat of the Dark-Lord. I want to be normal from now on!" He said the last phrase with defiance.  
  
"Harry" Hermione said, you know as well as I do that the outside world will never see you for anything but a superhero. But you're always Harry Potter to me!" She smiled "You big dummy, always getting yourself into near-death trouble. I'd almost think you looked for sticky situations to get involved with".  
  
"There's a difference between a 'sticky situation' and being forced to face the lord of evil!" Harry huffed.  
  
"Oh, I didn't mean THAT situation. I was talking about when you got stuck in the stair fourth year! Geez, Harry, come on now." retorted Hermione.  
  
"You think you're clever, eh?"  
  
"I know I am"  
  
Not quick enough to think up a witty response, Harry shut up and examined the carpet.  
  
He did not look up for a long time, until he felt the warmth of Hermione's hand on his leg. She was leaning over him, using his knee as a support so that she could examine his face closely. In an unexpected action that forced a friendly shiver up his back, she lifted his chin into the palm of her hand and looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"Your scar's gone."  
  
"Yes..." he gasped "It is. I'm not sure exactly...why."  
  
He trailed off as she brushed away a stray lock of his insane hair, and kissed his forehead in the place where the scar used to be.  
  
She stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to act. When he remained still, Hermione pulled herself away from him and moved to the far corner of the couch.  
  
Harry pondered Hermione for a moment, before putting his hand on her knee, looking her straight in the eye, and kissing her forehead.  
  
The look on her face was a mix of pleasure and surprise, with there being slightly more of the latter.  
  
"Stand up, Hermione." Harry said, setting up off of the couch.  
  
She stood in front of him.  
  
He kissed her, square on the lips this time.  
  
She seemed to go limp in his arms "Harry, I'm sorry...I just..um..." she scrambled for words.  
  
"Hermione, don't explain yourself. That ruins the moment. Stay with me, here, tonight." He said, falling backwards onto the bed.  
  
"Okay..."she said hesitantly, sitting next to him, placing her hand ever so carefully on his stomach, right above his navel.  
  
"I know precisely what you're feeling right now, becasue I know you and I can be honest. You are afraid that you are somehow displeasing Ron by doing whatever it is we have done or about to do." Harry said, surprising Hermione.  
  
"Yes...that's right"  
  
"I feel the same way."  
  
"oh..."  
  
They were silent for a long time, not looking at each other.  
  
Finally Harry spoke again.  
  
"Hermione," he said hesitantly "I feel that there are times when people, all people, simply need to feel...physically close to somebody else. People...need...er...they need to touch, to know that that warmth is there. That's all. I didn't mean to upset you" he murmured.  
  
"No, Harry...I think you are right. I'm not upset, just...confused." Hermione replied, trying her best not to sound emotional.  
  
There was another long silence, but this time they stared at each other.  
  
It was Harry who broke this silence as well.  
  
"Is it okay then, Hermione, if I just...hold...you tonight? No romance, none of that. Just to feel some sort of closeness...just to..."  
  
"To feel alive?" Hermione finished for him.  
  
"Yes."He said, looking at her with an almost vulnerable expression.  
  
"That would be really nice, Harry."  
  
"Okay then..."  
  
She watched him curl up under the sheets, and she removed her skirt and crawled in to join him. Hermione, with her keen knowledge of fire, uttered some spell causing the candles to go out and the fire in the fireplace to be reduced to a pile of glowing orange embers.  
  
Hermione turned to face him, and tenderly placed her lips on the place where his neck met his jaw. He leaned into the touch, but did not reciprocate.  
  
"Good night, Harry Potter."  
  
"Good night, Hermione"  
  
He wrapped his arm around her waist, and her fingers reached down to coil up with his. They fell asleep like this.  
  
Comfortable in the knowledge that the other was there, it was the most restful sleep that both Harry and Hermione had experienced in a very long time. 


	6. The decision at hand

Harry awoke suddenly the next morning to find Hermione sleeping soundly next to him. Careful not to disturb her, he crawled delicately out of bed and padded into the bathroom to take a shower.  
  
After having cleaned, he entered back into the room to dress. Throughly drying himself off with the towel, he reached for the pile of clean clothes supplied to him by Hogwarts.  
  
"Hmmm-Hmm?"  
  
Harry turned his neck to realize that Hermione had woken. She sat up in bed with a look of half shock and half amusement on her face.  
  
"You're naked Harry!" She mocked, and covered her blushing face with a sheet.  
  
Harry scrambled for a towel and quickly covered himself. He gathered up the stack of robes as he headed, embarassed, back to the restroom, leaving Hermione chuckling behind him.  
  
He emerged clothed to discover that she had done the same. "Sorry about that" He said, blushing "I thought you were still…sleeping"  
  
They both shared a moment of silent awkwardness, until Hermione brilliantly broke the silence.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Ummm," Harry glanced at his watch "Five till nine"  
  
"What?" Hermione said "We need to go get breakfast right now!"  
  
She grabbed Harry by the arm and together they ran down several flights of elaborate staircases. They found themselves in the entrance hall, and saw that the large wooden doors of the dining hall were closed tight.  
  
Harry exchanged a confused look with Hermione.  
  
There was a rustle from behind them, and out of nowhere Hedwig emerged from the tall rafters and alighted on Harry's shoulder, extending her leg. It had attached to it a slip of parchment. Harry removed and unrolled it. He read it aloud to Hermione.  
  
"Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
We would be privileged if you and Mrs. Granger would join us at the staff table for breakfast this morning. We have a special announcement to be made.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Albus Dumbledore"  
  
Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione, and without warning the huge doors flew open to reveal the dining hall packed with people. The entire school was there, as expected. But also there were all of his graduating class, all of his friends, and many of their families. As soon as they noticed Harry standing there, there was a roar of applause. He walked towards the long table at the end of the great room, where Dumbledore and all of the other professors stood. People beamed at him, cheered for him, patted him on the back. The teachers, even Snape, all bowed as he approached the Long table. There were two empty seats between Dumbledore and Hagrid which Hermione and Harry took quickly.  
  
"If we could please all quiet down!" Dumbledore shouted "I have an announcement to make"  
  
The hall was soon very quiet.  
  
"As you all know, I am getting very old," Dumbledore began "And running an entire school does not get easier with age."  
  
The audience all looked puzzled, eager to hear what was next.  
  
Dumbledore continued "After thorough discussion with mu colleagues, I am here to announce my retirement, and to proclaim who will be running Hogwarts from this time on."  
  
Harry looked shocked. He had never imagined Hogwarts without Dumbledore. He refused to believe that the school could function without him.  
  
"I thought long and hard about who would be running this school next. I considered many people, and in this consideration I sought several factors. One was intelligence and wit, because I know that this school needs a very level-headed person in charge. Another was the ability to cope with danger, and the need for courage in the face of death. Yet another factor was the willingness to sacrifice and compromise, and to work well with all to deal with a problem."  
  
Dumbledore paused here, and a smile spread across his aged face " Finally, I looked for a person whom I saw myself in…A person I could trust, and who could make decisions that I, and the rest of the staff, could agree with.  
  
"If he chooses to accept the offer, our new headmaster will have all of these qualities and more, and with my assistance, will surely become known as the FINEST headmaster that this school has ever seen."  
  
The crowd looked at Dumbledore, eagerly awating the announcement of his decision.  
  
Dumbledore extended a hand towards Harry.  
  
"Mr. Harry Potter, if You would please stand."  
  
He did.  
  
"If you are willing to take on the responsibility, Harry, we would be honored to have you as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizidry!"  
  
The crowd burst into applause. He looked at Hermione nervously, and she smiled warmly back at him. All of the other teachers, including Snape, smiled.  
  
Harry, on the other hand, was tempted to decline.  
  
  
  
A new Chapter up soon! Please review, this is my first fiction ever…and I'd like to know how I'm doing! Be honest! 


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